Randi Oakes is an American actress and fashion model. Active in the 1970s and early 1980s, she is probably best known for her role as Officer Bonnie Clark on the television series ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...

'', a role she played from 1979 to 1982. After marrying actor

Gregory Harrison Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known primarily for his roles as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John McIntyre (played by Pernell Roberts) on the CBS series '' Tr ...

in 1980, she retired from acting after the birth of her first child in 1985.

Early life

Oakes was born in Sumner, Iowa and grew up in Randalia, Iowa. While in high school, she went to Des Moines, Iowa twice per week to attend modeling school. Oakes was named Miss Iowa Model of the Year and moved to New York City with a modeling contract at age 17. She quickly became one of the top fashion models in the United States. While modeling, she was in a relationship with pro football star

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943), nicknamed "Broadway Joe", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seaso ...

for seven years and was sometimes referred to as "Joe's fiancee". Oakes began a shift from modeling to acting when, at the age of 23, she overheard one model tell another, "You know, you're kind of a young Randi Oakes."

Acting career

Oakes was a frequent guest star on television series during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including roles on '' McCloud'', '' Delvecchio'', ''

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...

'', ''

B.J. and the Bear ''B. J. and the Bear'' is an American action comedy television series which aired on NBC from February 10, 1979, to May 9, 1981. Created by Glen A. Larson and Christopher Crowe, the series starred Greg Evigan. The series was produced when the ...

'', ''

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'', ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' and ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...

''. She also starred as Sally in the 1978 theatrical crime drama ''Acapulco Gold'' and had recurring roles as Georgia on the 1977 television series ''Rosetti and Ryan'' and as a young Taurus woman on the original ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

''. A guest role as a car thief in the episode "Down Time" on ''

'' led to the featured role as the blonde police officer Bonnie Clark. She appeared on the series from the beginning of its third season until the end of its fifth season. Along with costar

Larry Wilcox Larry Dee Wilcox (born August 8, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as California Highway Patrol officer (later captain) Jonathan "Jon" Baker in the television series ''CHiPs'', which ran from 1977 to 1983 on NBC. A Vietnam vete ...

, Oakes left the show in 1982. According to a 1983 article that appeared in ''People'', a lack of time spent with husband Harrison, led to the actress's departure from ''CHiPs''. Oakes appeared on multiple editions of ''

Circus of the Stars ''Circus of the Stars'' was an annual television special, broadcast by the CBS network in the United States, in which celebrities performed circus-type acts. It was filmed at the main Universal Pictures studio lot. With 19 shows in total, the ...

'', and she was a frequent competitor on (and one-time host of) ''

Battle of the Network Stars ''Battle of the Network Stars'' is a series of competitions in which television stars from ABC, CBS and NBC would compete in various sporting events. A total of 19 of these competitions were held between 1976 and 1988, all of which were aired ...

''. She was "dunked" more times than any other competitor in the Baseball Dunk event. She retired from acting to be a full-time mother after the birth of her first child in 1985. In a 1992 interview, Harrison told the ''Toronto Star'', " andi hasbeen busy mothering, designing our home, overseeing the construction. She's glad not to be in the business. It gave her a pay cheque, period. She never studied, suffered or sacrificed to be an actress. It didn't fulfill dreams and if it doesn't fulfill dreams, it's hard to take this business. It has an ugly underbelly."Rita Zekas, TORONTO S. "Gregory Harrison Goes from Gonzo to 'Sicko' Psycho." Toronto Star, 18 Oct 1992, pp. C2. As of 2015, Oakes returned to television, with other notable ''CHiPs'' stars, for a series of introductions and interviews for MeTV's weekly ''CHiPs'' reruns.

Family

While competing on a 1979 edition of ''

'', Oakes (on the NBC team) met her future husband, actor Gregory Harrison of '' Trapper John, M.D.'' fame (playing for the CBS team). Oakes and Harrison were married on December 21, 1980, but their marriage was kept secret from the public for several years. They have three daughters, Emma Lee (born 1985), Lily Anne (born 1989), and Kate (born 1991). The couple also adopted a son, Quinn Edgar. The couple originally lived together in Sherman Oaks, California, but since the early 1990s, the family has lived in Southern Oregon; first in Gold Beach, Oregon for 15 years, then Eugene, Oregon.

Filmography

*'' Acapulco Gold'' (1976) - Sally Cantrell *''

'' (1978) - Blonde Taurus *''

'' (1977–1982, TV Series) - Officer Bonnie Clark / Kim Balford / Blonde Secretary *''

'' (1983) - Season 6 Episode 16. "Eternal Flame" / "A Date with Burt" March 5, 1983. Eternal Flame: A couple are obsessed with finding the Fountain of Youth. Randi Oakes Diana Weston; Linwood Boomer Alex Weston. *''

'' (1980) - Season 8 Episode 14 “The Killing Point” Ursula *''

Love boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' (1981) - Season 5 Episode 5 "Daddy's Little Girl", Marcy Crane. *'' McCloud'' (1975-1976) - Season 6 Episode 5 "Our Man In Harem" Margo

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oakes, Randi Actresses from Iowa American film actresses American television actresses Living people People from Sumner, Iowa Female models from Oregon Actresses from Portland, Oregon People from Gold Beach, Oregon Actresses from Eugene, Oregon 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)